- What is a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar?
- Exercises for Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars
- What to Look For when You Buy a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
- The 8 Best Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars
- How to Install a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
- Alternatives for a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
- Frequently Asked Questions About Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars
The Pull-Up Bar, easily one of the most recognizable pieces of Calisthenics equipment. The traditional Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar has seen a lot of competition the last decade from Door-Mounted Pull-Up Bars, Free-Standing Pull-Up Bars and Power Towers. Yet, this original form of Pull-Up Bar hasn’t cleared the field just yet. It holds major advantages over its competition where it comes to ground space available and of course, there’s the fact that part of its construction is an actual wall. In our list of Best Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars you’ll find the very best currently available and which, we must sadly conclude, isn’t a wide range of options. To prevent you from buying something you shouldn’t, we’ve comprised this list for your convenience.
What is a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar?
A Pull-Up Bar is a suspended horizontal bar, usually made of steel from which the Calisthenics practitioner conducts various Calisthenics exercises. In practice this means that the practitioner will suspend and somehow lift their body up on the bar to a certain height if not with their chin crossing over the bar. Pull-Up Bars come in different shapes and sizes; some are free-standing while others are mounted to an existing fixture point like a door in the case of Door-Mounted Pull-Up Bars or in the case of this article, to a wall.
The Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar, as the name suggests, is permanently fixed to a wall at a desired height. The foremost advantage of Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars over the other types is that a concrete load-bearing wall can take a much higher amount of weight. These Pull-Up Bars can frequently take a weight of up to 600lbs, meaning in practical terms that any human-being who can suspend their own weight from the bar can use them safely. Most other Pull-Up Bars will only go up to a maximum weight of 300lbs.
This makes a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar the best and safest option for doing dynamic and explosive force exercises like 360 Muscle-Ups. Another advantage is that they take up comparatively little space compared to a Free-Standing Pull-Up Bar and don’t get in the way of a door frame like with a Door-Mounted Pull-Up Bar.
The main disadvantage of a Wall-Mounted setup is that they are fixed semi-permanently to the wall. You can’t move them around as easily without first having to go through the dismounting and remounting process (which is an upfront investment of time and energy). There are, however, options. There are Wall-Mounted bars which can be used off the wall as well and those which are foldable as to minimize their space impact when not in use.
Another disadvantage is that you can only use them from one side, the whole other side of the bar is blocked by the wall it is affixed too.
Exercises for Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars
In the field of Calisthenics, the Pull-Up Bar is a staple and can be used for a diverse and dynamic range of Calisthenics exercises. The Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar gives you a very wide range of options from beginner to expert level since it can sustain any practical weight a human body could generate. This would include Weighted Calisthenics through the use of Dip-Belts or Weighted Vests.
A selection of exercises you can do with your Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars:
- Pull-Ups
- Negative Pull-Ups
- Muscle-Ups
- 360 Pull-Ups
- Front Levers
- Back Levers
- Straight Bar Dips
- Leg Raises
- Windshield Wipers
- Chin-Ups
- Skin The Cat exercises
- And many more
As you can see from this selection, the Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar is a good starting position from beginner to the expert Calisthenics practitioner. You can add weights to your body as mentioned before but you can also use Gymnastic Rings, suspended from the horizontal bar for additional exercises like Chest Flies, Tuck Planches, Leg Raises and so on. This would add a whole slew of additional exercises you could perform. You can also use Resistance Bands to achieve the opposite effect and make Pull-Ups easier to do instead.
What to Look For when You Buy a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
When you’re looking to buy a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar, you’ll find there are a lot of options at your disposal and, unfortunately, many if not most of them aren’t worth your money. You may also buy a good product, just not the right one for you. To make sure you buy the best Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar for your needs, you’ll want to watch for the following criteria:
- Customer rating: what do other buyers of this product have to say about their purchase? On today’s internet market, you want to take advantage of that free flow of information.
- Width: how wide the horizontal top bar? There are shorter and longer bars available. If you want to have a wide grip, you need a wider bar.
- Wall clearance: how far off the wall does the top bar hang? More compact bars will be space-saving, but will also limit your freedom of movement. Bars which hang further from the wall offer you more freedom of movement and most likely, more exercises you can do. But they do take more space.
- Material: only powder coated tubular steel is acceptable. Ideally the top bar and any other extensions are coated with a semi-rough finish for an optimal grip. If this is not the case, a firm foam grip should be present.
- Maximum load: some bars are advertised as having an extremely high maximum load. A higher load means you can be heavier or you can do Weighted Calisthenics more safely. The minimum we recommend is 200lbs if you, yourself are not 200lbs and you don’t want to do any weighted exercise.
The 8 Best Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars
This is our selection of the 8 best Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars. As always, we are quite particular in what we like and what we don’t like. We like quality over quantity, so we’ll favor a higher quality bar with fewer extra protrusions over an elaborate bar but of questionable design and quality.
#1 Gravity Fitness Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
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- Rating: 5
- Width: 47”
- Wall clearance: 35″
- Material: steel powder coated (black)
- Maximum load: 240lbs
The no frills Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar from Gravity Fitness is of a compact yet robust design. The Gravity Fitness comes with a single horizontal bar and no additional side-bars. The bar is supported by diagonal struts, which makes the Gravity Fitness about as structurally sound as you can make anything from tubular steel. Which is why the stated maximum load of just 240lbs surprised us.
We’re not engineers but the true critical load is most likely a lot more than that. Likely for safety reasons, Gravity Fitness has opted for a very conservative figure. Even 240 pounds should be enough for most practitioners, however. If you’re a heavier person and/or want to do Weighted Calisthenics, you can opt for a different Pull-Up Bar with a less conservative maximum load estimate.
Fit and finish are excellent and the powder coating was even and spotless, as we expect from a Gravity Fitness product. Quite nice about this Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar is the wall clearance, giving you a full 35” to work with. This makes it easier to do advanced exercises like Muscle-Ups, Pull-Overs and Levers.
The Gravity Fitness takes the first place because it offers a quality, long-lasting product that does what it should and for a reasonable price.
#2 Pullup & Dip Mobile Pull-Up & Dip Bar
10% off with our code: CWW10
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- Rating: 5
- Width: 40.9”
- Wall clearance: 15.4”
- Material: steel powder coated (black)
- Maximum load: 330 lb
- Discount: 10% with code: CWW10
The amazingly versatile Mobile Pull-Up & Dip Bar by none other than its namesake, Pullup & Dip is the best product on our list. That is, if you look at the quality and functionality. The Mobile Pull-Up & Dip Bar can be either wall-mounted or used outdoors with a banded lashing around a thick tree. Apart from the horizontal bar, the ends slope downward giving you more options for variations on the regular Pull-Up. It also features two protruding bars. As far as a Pull-Up Bar is concerned, that is all you really need for your Calisthenics.
The fit and finish are on par with Gravity Fitness, which is very good. It can be mounted with the diagonal supporting beam oriented either towards or away from the ground. This will in turn either make the horizontal bar’s ends slope upward or downward too. You’ll want to keep this in mind when you’re permanently fixing the Mobile Pull-Up & Dip Bar to your wall.
For outdoor use, this means the Pull-Up & Dip Bar can be quickly turned from a Pull-Up Bar to, you guessed it, a Dipping Bar. All other Wall-Mounted Bars only have this functionality as an afterthought. You can do dips but that’s not what they’re meant for. Pullup & Dip have really outshined the others where it comes to versatility here.
We want to love this Pull-Up Bar by Pullup & Dip and we honestly do. But the price just sets it back for us and we can’t justify putting it in first place. If it were $230 we’d place this in first place in a heartbeat, because you do get a whole lot for your money. If it is of any help, you can get halfway there with our discount code CWW10.
#3 Pullup & Dip Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
10% off with our code: CWW10
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- Rating: 4.5
- Width: 37”
- Wall clearance: 17”
- Material: steel powder coated (black)
- Maximum load: 440lbs
- Discount: 10% with code: CWW10
The much smaller and far more reasonably priced brother of the Mobile bar, this Pullup & Dip Wall-Mounted Bar is another excellent addition to our list. Again, of great quality overall and offering a great maximum load of 440lbs, we found that this Pull-Up Bar won’t disappoint when it comes to the majority of regular Pull-Up exercises. Aside from the horizontal bar, the Pullup & Dip comes equipped with slanting ends and two perpendicular extensions. Unlike other bars which features this, the insides are smooth with no protruding nuts or bolts.
Along with its cheaper price, this bar becomes the direct competitor to the #1 Gravity Fitness bar. The bar’s handles however aren’t of powder coated steel but of foam. These tend to wear out much quicker. We also don’t quite understand the extra ring in the middle of the horizontal bar. Sure, we know what it’s supposed to do, but its positioning is quite unfortunate. If you’re not careful or are just very enthusiastic with explosive Chin-Ups, your chest could impact this ring.
Finally, the Gravity Fitness has way more wall clearance. The limited room behind the horizontal bar will also limit the number of more dynamic exercises you can do.
#4 Rubberbanditz Anchor Multi Station
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- Rating: 4.5
- Width: 48”
- Wall clearance: 24”
- Material: steel powder coated (black)
- Maximum load: 240lbs (estimate)
Another simpler design on our list, the Rubberbanditz Anchor Multi Station is a straight up horizontal bar with (almost) no other attachments. The bar is nice and wide, giving you ample of space to place your hands however far apart or close together you want them. This is why we like the simpler designs where the hand placement isn’t predefined by added foam grips or pre-placed protrusions.
The powder coated steel has an alright finish, though left with rougher welds and open ends where dust and the like might settle more easily. No maximum load is given. Looking at its design, we conservatively estimate it to be similar to the Gravity Fitness.
The Anchor Multi Station comes equipped with handy hooks, conveniently placed away from the horizontal bar so they don’t get in the way of your shoulders or chest. These hooks can be used to attach Resistance Bands, which can either aid you in doing Pull-Ups or be used for their own, unique exercises all together.
#5 Aoneky Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
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- Rating: 4
- Width: 37”
- Wall distance: 20”
- Material: steel powder coated (black)
- Maximum load: 1000lbs
If you’re on a tight budget but you’re looking for a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar that won’t just fall apart on you, this Aoneky is for you. With its entry level price, it gives you all the usual options where it comes to doing Calisthenics using a Pull-Up Bar. Fit and finish are decent and there are no bolts or other protrusions in the way of your shoulders or chest. The foam grips aren’t the best out there, powder coated steel with a rough finish being a better option, but at this price point you certainly can’t complain.
Freedom of movement is a bit limited and you’re confined to doing Pull-Ups and variations thereof. That said, the Aoneky Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar does come with loops for the attachment of Resistance Bands, which is a nice feature to have at this price point. The area they were very liberal with is the gauge of the tubular steel. Its construction can withstand a maximum working load of a whopping 1000lbs. With proper mounting being done onto a concrete or brick wall, the bolts themselves would sooner be shorn from the wall than this thing breaking in any way.
#6 MasiStranth Foldable Pull-Up Bar
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- Rating: 4
- Width: 37”
- Wall distance: 18”
- Material: steel powder coated (black)
- Maximum load: 600lbs
The MasiStrength Foldable Pull-Up Bar has a unique feature on this list. It can be folded up so it sits flusher with the wall when not in use. Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars are already a great way to safe space in your home gym since they take zero floor space. But it’s still there hanging off the wall and potentially in the way if you need to pass through that area. For the space-concerned, the MasiStranth can be a great solution. When not in use, simply fold it up and it will take a fraction of the wall clearance other Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars take.
The MasiStranth also comes with a liberal maximum load of 600lbs, thanks to its thick retaining pin and diagonal support beam. That would allow you to do Weighted Calisthenics without any trouble and for an affordable price to boot.
Are there no downsides? Well, there are only four grips you utilize since there are only four grips available and no horizontal bar at all. This limits what you can do and how far apart you place your hands. It is a one-size fits all solution and as always, one size fits almost no one perfectly. The grips themselves are also of foam and will wear out, become brittle and are then more annoying than helpful.
#7 HAKENO Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
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- Rating: 4
- Width: 26.2”
- Wall distance: 11”
- Material: steel powder coated (black)
- Maximum load: 660lbs
HAKENO is a surprising addition to our list as the company isn’t very well known in the Calisthenics scene at least. When we saw their product though, we saw the potential. Being slightly cheaper priced than some other similar bars, we wanted to know if this was a viable alternative to say a Pull-Up & Dip.
The HAKENO is somewhat on the smaller size, a fact that will come into play later. Fit and finish appear quite sufficient for a Pull-Up Bar in this price range. You’re supplied with a royal 12 wall plugs and together with its double support construction is good for a load of up to 660lbs. You’re offered two slanting horizontal protrusions as well as two horizontal perpendicular protrusions. Unlike some other models, the center horizontal bar is also functional. All these areas are equipped with foam grips.
We already mentioned the HAKENO is somewhat smaller. The wall clearance is only 11” and with its very thick tubular steel construction, it can look somewhat stubby. If you’re just looking for a Pull-Up Bar with no extra fluff, this can be overlooked for sure. What can’t be overlooked are the bolts protruding on the inside of the supporting struts and close to your shoulder when you’re using the center horizontal bar. It’s not very hard to hurt yourself on these when doing Chin-Ups.
A nice additional feature though are the loops beneath either supporting strut for the addition of Resistance Bands or for suspending other items.
#8 BESTHLS Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
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- Rating: 4
- Width: 45.5”
- Wall distance: 24.4”
- Material: steel powder coated (black)
- Maximum load: 440lbs
This oddity caught our attention because of its unique design. It reminded us of a playground climbing frame. We mean that with the utmost respect, for going by weight ratio, children hanging and climbing on these is actually quite a feat. We went ahead and tested BESTHLS’s merit against its word.
Fit and finish are quite good. The powder coating is even and just coarse enough to provide good grip. And, there are many grips. Where other Pull-Up Bars just add more extensions to give you more grip options, the BESTHLS Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar instead incorporates these into a frame. This immediately eliminates the problem of having all kinds of beams sticking out everywhere and potentially getting in the way. It is a neat, tidy and compact solution to having everything you need (for different grips) into the same area as a single horizontal bar.
Wide grips, narrow grips, oblique grips, it’s all possible without sacrificing any more space than a single horizontal bar. That makes this Pull-Up Bar very versatile for what it does. There’s a catch, of course. We don’t see you doing anything inverted since you can’t properly hook your knees around the horizontal bars.
How to Install a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
You have decided on the best Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar for you, but you’re unsure how to install it in your home gym or garage. The installation of a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar isn’t that difficult, but does require some drilling and a little bit of elbow grease to get done. All Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars will come with installation instructions and safety precautions for you to follow. Usually, all installation parts are present like bolts and plugs. A drill with drill bit suitable of drilling into concrete you will have to supply yourself. As general advice please follow these instructions:
- Follow the instructions given by the manual and all safety precautions.
- Wear all appropriate safety gear like goggles and gloves while operating a drill
- Make sure the wall is a brick or a solid concrete and load-bearing wall. Avoid wooden walls or drywalls. These will not stand up to the stresses put onto them and are not a safe choice.
- Make sure all the plugs and bolts sit securely in their lugs with an additional quarter turn using your bodyweight.
Alternatives for a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
Doing Pull-Ups will require some sort of horizontal bar strong enough to not only take your dead weight, but also the momentum you generate with your movement. For safety reasons, we can only recommend using professionally and purpose-made Calisthenics equipment for doing Pull-Ups. Your alternatives to a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar are as follows:
- A Door-Mounted Pull-Up Bar
- A Free-Standing Pull-Up Bar
- A Power Tower
- Gymnastic Rings
All four give you much the same functionality as a Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar and some add other options as well. If you’re really confident about your DIY skills, a DIY Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar can be constructed from high gauge tubular steel and the proper welding equipment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars
Here are some frequently asked questions about Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars.
Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars generally offer the highest work load of all Pull-Up Bars. This allows you the safest and most secure way of doing Pull-Ups and other related Calisthenics exercises.
Not all Pull-Up Bars can be mounted on a wall. There are Free-Standing Pull-Up Bars which aren’t mounted to anything and Door-Mounted Pull-Up Bars which can be easily mounted and dismounted from a doorframe. Finally, there also Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars which are specifically intended to be fixed semi-permanently to a wall.
If you do not install your Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar to the wall properly, they can damage the wall either by shearing off the bolts or ripping the bolts out of the wall and taking parts of the wall with it. Likewise, if the wall is unsuitable (like wood or drywall), the wall itself might give and parts of it break off when the Pull-Up Bar is in use.
A properly installed Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar on a suitable wall of either solid concrete or solid brick will not damage a wall beyond the holes for the plugs.
There aren’t many good Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bars out there, sadly. Your options are limited. For a simpler bar, the Gravity Fitness Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar and the Pullup & Dip Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar are the best. For a more elaborate design, again the Pullup & Dip Mobile Pull-Up & Dip Bar is a good choice as well as the BESTHLS Wall-Mounted Pull-Up Bar.
At whatever height is convenient to you. You should be able to reach all the bars without having to jump or stretch completely.
